A 14-year-old Cottonwood Heights girl stops the assault of her mother by shooting a BB gun at her aunt, who allegedly had also scratched the girl during a disturbance shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday. The aunt was taken into custody by police. (Shutterstock.com)

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Police said a 14-year-old girl halted an assault on her mother shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday by shooting her aunt in the hand with a BB gun.

The mother, who lives in Cottonwood Heights with her three children, was attacked by her sister, Sara Nuneviller, 30, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Scott Peck.

"Sara punched her sister and the two were fighting violently," Peck said.

As the teenage girl attempted to stop the fight, she was punched and scratched across her neck by the aunt, causing her to bleed profusely, he said.

Once the girl determined she could not stop the altercation, she left the room and returned with a black BB gun styled as a pistol, reportedly shooting Nuneviller in the hand, Peck said.

Nuneviller ran to a neighbor's house, telling them she had been shot in the hand.

Nuneviller, who had been staying at her sister's home at 1678 E. 7200 South, had been driving a vehicle reported stolen in South Salt Lake. Nuneviller was taken into custody by police, facing possible charges of assaulting a child, Peck said.